Flies as a potential vector of selected alert pathogens in a hospital environment

• Published in: International journal of environmental health research Vol. 32; no. 8; pp. 1868 - 1887
• Main Authors: Wiktorczyk-Kapischke, Natalia, Skowron, Krzysztof, Kwiecińska-Piróg, Joanna, Białucha, Agata, Wałecka-Zacharska, Ewa, Grudlewska-Buda, Katarzyna, Kraszewska, Zuzanna, Gospodarek-Komkowska, Eugenia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03.08.2022; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Calliphora vicina; Citrobacter; Coliforms; Drug resistance; E coli; Flies; Hafnium oxide; hospitals; Infections; Klebsiella; Lucilia sericata; Multidrug resistance; Musca domestica; Pathogens; Public health; β Lactamase; hospitals; drug resistance; Flies; public health
• ISSN: 0960-3123; 1369-1619
• DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2021.1919605

Multi-drug resistant pathogens are a global problem. Flies are a potential vector of multi-drug resistant pathogens, which can be particularly dangerous in the hospital environment. This study aimed to evaluate flies as vectors of alert pathogens. The research material consisted of 100 flies (Musca domestica (46.0%), Lucilia sericata (28.0%), and Calliphora vicina (26.0%)) collected at the University Hospital No. 1 dr. A. Jurasz in Bydgoszcz (Poland) in 2018-2019 (summer months). The presence of bacteria of the genera: Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Escherichia, Leclercia, Citrobacter, Hafnia, Providencia, Proteus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Raoultella, Morganella, Moellerella, Bordetella, Pantoea, Serratia, Plesiomonas, Wohlfahrimonas, and Lelliottia was confirmed. The most frequently isolated species included: Enterococcus faecalis (n = 64), Escherichia coli (n = 43) and Moellerella wisconsensis (n = 24). The infection rate and antibiotic resistance of bacteria were assessed. One strain of Proteus mirabilis (isolated from Calliphora vicina) produced ESBLs (extended-spectrum beta-lactamases). The infection rate was 0.38%, 0.26%, and 0.20% for Musca domestica, Lucilia sericata, and Calliphora vicina, respectively. The flies from a hospital area were not a vector of alert pathogens. Monitoring flies as potential vectors of pathogens is an important aspect of public health, especially for hospitalized patients.